MRI: more space for patients
Switzerland - Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans could become a more comfortable experience for patients because, by tinkering with the detection technique, researchers have freed up more space inside the machine.
Switzerland - Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans could become a more comfortable experience for patients because, by tinkering with the detection technique, researchers have freed up more space inside the machine.

In Europe, when you think of medical imaging technology the obvious names spring to mind: Siemens, GE, Toshiba and Philips. However, Hitachi, already a world leader in permanent magnet MRI, and with a reputation in open MRI systems, has a keen eye on the European market. According to Jan Reijnen, the firm´s Product Manager for MRI/CT in Europe, Hitachi has already installed more than 5,000 open…

Uterine fibroids are the most common benign tumours in women. Treatment is only necessary if the fibroids cause pain and bleeding due to their size and position. Minimally-invasive fibroid embolisation is a gentle, efficient and long-lasting treatment for their removal, leaving the uterus intact. The first evaluations of several international long-term studies have indicated a high success rate…

The role of women in radiology and the challenges they face were again the focus of a session — Women in Radiology: How to maximise their potential — at this year's ECR, when female and male radiologists discussed their work experiences and combining home and family life with demanding careers. A forum also discussed the family friendly approaches in various countries.

With 16 years’ experience in developing contrast media power injectors, Medtron AG recently launched the Accutron HP-D, which, the firm reports, is the only totally wireless, high pressure double-head injector dedicated to all vascular diagnostic and interventional procedures.

The role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess the effect of therapy in patients with acute myocardial infarction was demonstrated in a series of papers during the 12th Annual Scientific Sessions of the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (SCMR), held in Orlando, Fla. USA (29 Jan - 1 Feb).

In the sixth in his series for European Hospital, Professor Stefan Schönberg (left) of the Institute of Clinical Radiology and Nuclear Medicine (IKRN), University Hospital Mannheim, Medical Faculty of Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, invited colleagues from Mannheim and Vienna for a round-table discussion on:

Basic research and clinical patient care became separate disciplines in the 70s and 80s.
To date, there is insufficient knowledge as to the cause of this disease, or how to prevent it. We asked some of our EH correspondents to report on measures taken in their countries to ensure that men are made more aware of this disease and whether screening services are provided for early prostate cancer detection.

The clear focus of the numerous lectures given at the International MRI Symposium was on cardiac imaging.

Lean architecture reflecting quality of care

'There is no proof that some new procedures are better than the conventional ones or than clinical examination'

Big discussions are expected at the upcoming European Association of Urology (EAU) Congress in Stockholm* when urologist Dr Jochen Walz (right), of the Urological Department at the Institute Paoli-Calmettes, Marseilles, France, presents the forum: Imaging in Europe: Who, where, what, how many! and M F Coelho, of the European Society of Urological Imaging (ESUI) describes the Clinical utility of…

Siemens Healthcare recently presented its first MRI breast scanner, Magnetom Espree-Pink. The 1.5-Tesla system is the latest innovation in magnetic resonance imaging, featuring a dedicated solution for breast examinations. Particularly for obese and claustrophobic patients, the large, 70-centimeter magnet bore makes examinations more comfortable, or, in some cases, it makes them possible for the…

Philips leads the €15.9 million project to develop image-guided localized drug delivery technologies that could significantly impact the treatment of cancer and cardiovascular disease. The goal is to maximize therapeutic efficiency and minimize side effects of treatments for cancer and cardiovascular disease. The hope is that this level of control will also provide a means of tailoring the…

Real-time image guidance during radiation therapy could prove the ultimate means to ramp tumour targeting accuracy and enable real-time tracking of moving targets. MR imaging enables precise soft-tissue visualization with no additional ionizing radiation exposure. Unfortunately, MR systems and linear accelerators are inherently incompatible and some innovative design work is required for them to…

Chicago, November - At first glance, the 94th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America appeared to be bigger than ever and impervious to the massive economic recession of its host country. RSNA 2008 ate into every inch of Chicago's McCormick Place trade centre. To reduce crowd congestion, technical exhibitions had been expanded to include a third massive…

Siemens' latest high-end scanner, which takes our unmatched Dual Source technology to a whole new level, is the SOMATOM Definition Flash — a scanner that will change your perceptions of radiation dose.

At this year's RSNA, Philips not only showcased their latest technology, the Achieva 3.0T TX MRI scanner, but also provided insights in their current activities to improve workflow in the radiology department: in collaboration with the University of Chicago Medical Center the company conducted a closed loop imaging research trial.

Carestream Health, Inc., and National Digital Medical Archive, Inc., (NDMA), are collaborating on product integration initiatives designed to support the expansion of NDMA's national imaging network and improve customer access to its analytics and data management services.

Inequalities in radiology services across Europe may be levelled out due to R-Bay, a new project in which a consortium of hospitals and healthcare providers will create an e-marketplace to sell and buy radiological services like commodities.

From 'A' as in Austria to 'Z' as in Zanzibar the letters 'UPS' (United Parcel Service) are known for express transportation and logistics services. Since the late '90s the UPS section responsible for logistics services has delivered supply chain solutions for healthcare customers, including pharmaceutical, biotech, medical devices and equipment companies - an important growth sector for this…
Siemens Healthcare has opened a new research centre in Cologne, where around 40 employees are developing new diagnostic tests to describe the molecular characteristics of breast cancer cells, to help physicians to select individual therapy.

What was initially viewed with scepticism developed into an integral and indispensable part of modern imaging diagnostics

Although there should always be concern about radiation in a facility that uses X-ray to image patients, that concern is perhaps not as vocal as for CT or interventional radiology, according to physicist Jacqueline Gallet, Global Manager of Clinical Studies at Carestream Health.